Medicine
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Recent biomechanics studies have revealed distinct kinematic behavior of different lumbar segments. The mechanisms behind these segment-specific biomechanical features are unknown. This study investigated the in vivo geometric characteristics of human lumbar intervertebral discs. ⋯ Although the lengths of the lower lumbar discs were similar, the geometry of the AF and NP showed segment-dependent properties. These data may provide insight into the understanding of segment-specific biomechanics in the lower lumbar spine. The data could also provide baseline knowledge for the development of segment-specific surgical treatments of lumbar diseases.
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Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are recently discovered RNA transcripts that are aberrantly expressed in many tumor types. Numerous studies have suggested that lncRNAs can be utilized for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. LSINCT5 (long stress-induced non-coding transcript 5) is dramatically upregulated in breast and ovarian cancer and affects cellular proliferation. ⋯ Moreover, multivariate analysis revealed that increased expression of LSINCT5 is an independent predictor of DFS and DSS rates in GC patients. The ectopic expression of LSINCT5 in gastrointestinal cancer cell lines resulted in an increase in cellular proliferation; conversely, knock down of LSINCT5 significantly inhibited proliferation. These results suggest that LSINCT5 may represent a novel prognostic indicator and a target for gene therapy in gastrointestinal cancer.
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Review Meta Analysis
PRISMA--efficacy and safety of vedolizumab for inflammatory bowel diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Vedolizumab is an anti-inflammatory monoclonal antibody that exclusively targets the α4β7 integrin. We aimed to systematically review the efficacy and safety of vedolizumab for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched up to May 2014. ⋯ A superior effect was found during maintenance therapy in durable clinical/CD Activity Index-100 response (RR=2.22, 95% CI [1.62, 3.05]; RR=1.48, 95% CI [1.13, 1.94]) and clinical remission (RR=2.55, 95% CI [1.38, 4.70]; RR=1.15, 95% CI [0.75, 1.77]). However, vedolizumab may be associated with serious adverse events (RR=1.25, 95% CI [1.03, 1.52]) and nasopharyngitis (RR=1.56, 95% CI [1.08, 2.25]) for patients with CD. Vedolizumab was more effective than placebo as induction and maintenance therapy for IBDs, with an acceptable short-term safety profile, and achieving cure, although it may be associated with serious adverse events and nasopharyngitis for patients with CD.
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Review Meta Analysis
Predictive accuracy of amyloid imaging for progression from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer disease with different lengths of follow-up: a meta-analysis. [Corrected].
In the past decade, amyloid deposition has been shown to begin many years before the clinical symptoms of dementia in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer disease (AD). Longitudinal studies with different follow-up durations have suggested that C-Pittsburgh compound B positron emission tomography (C-PIB-PET) may play a role in stratifying patients with MCI into risk levels for developing AD. However, the predictive accuracy of amyloid imaging for the progression from MCI to AD with different follow-up durations has not yet been systematically evaluated. ⋯ Not all of the methodological quality scores of studies included in this systematic review were high. Current evidence suggests that prolongation of the follow-up duration tended to yield greater accuracy of C-PIB-PET for predicting the progression from MCI to AD. In particular, the specificity, which reflects the exploratory nature of the use of amyloid imaging to identify the process of MCI to AD, was improved with a longer follow-up period.
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Review Meta Analysis
The association of common functional polymorphisms in mir-146a and mir-196a2 and hepatocellular carcinoma risk: evidence from a meta-analysis.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that function as tumor suppressors or oncogenes. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in the miRNAs influence the function of mature miRNAs and may contribute to cancer development. Studies investigating the association between miR-146a rs2910164 and miR-196a2 rs11614913 polymorphisms and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk reported inconsistent results. ⋯ With respect to miR-196a2 rs11614913 polymorphism, no significant association with HCC risk was found in the overall and subgroup analyses. The results suggest that the miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism contributes to increased HCC susceptibility, especially in Asian populations. Further large and well-designed studies are required to validate this association.